1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems and products for use with computers and computer input devices for control of the cursor on computer display monitors and with computer keyboards.
2. Description of Related Art
The most commonly used cursor control display devices, generally used in combination with a keyboard, are a mouse, a trackball and a touch pad. Of these, the most efficient, easy to use and popular is the mouse. Conventional mouse pads are sometimes combined with wrist rests and place the mouse pad on the left or right side of the keyboard. Alternatively, some conventional keyboards have wrist rests affixed that accommodate either touch pads or track balls. Thus, current mouse pads, whether combined with a wrist rest or not, force the computer operator to stretch his/her arm to the right or left side of the keyboard depending upon which hand is the dominant hand. Too often, this results in painful and sometimes disabling repetitive motion injuries. Moreover, this positioning is inefficient for entering data into the computer.
A system that would allow the computer operator to use the mouse without having to extend his arm would significantly increase productivity and assist in the prevention of repetitive motion injury. However, there is no known system that allows a computer operator to use the mouse in the position in which his hands naturally fall when typing on a computer keyboard.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and product that avoids the above-noted difficulties of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an ergonomic system of computer data entry combining a computer wrist rest and a mouse pad.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an ergonomic system and product that combines a computer wrist rest and mouse pad in a unique position that allows a computer operator to more efficiently enter data into a computer by using the computer mouse in a more ergonomic position.
In accordance with these and other objects, a wrist rest for use with a computer mouse includes a base adapted to rest upon a flat surface, said base having a first upper surface adapted to support a computer mouse. A right rest is positioned at a right side of the base and has a second upper surface adapted to support a user""s right wrist, with the second upper surface being upwardly spaced from the first upper surface. Correspondingly, a left rest is positioned at a left side of the base and has a third upper surface adapted to support a user""s left wrist, with the third upper surface being upwardly spaced from the first upper surface. The right rest and the left rest define therebetween a recess with the first upper surface serving as a bottom surface of the recess, and the recess is sized such that when the user""s right wrist is supported by the second upper surface, the user""s right hand curves naturally down to a computer mouse positioned on the first upper surface and such that when the user""s left wrist is supported by the third upper surface, the user""s left hand curves naturally down to the computer mouse positioned on the first upper surface.